England vs India 2021: Squads, Fixtures, Timings, Broadcast, Live Streaming and all you need to know

Cricket fans all around the world must gear up as England and India are gearing up to lock horns in a five-match Test series, starting on August 4 (Wednesday). The series holds great significance as it will mark the beginning of the second World Test Championship cycle. Hence, 60 crucial points are at stake in the series and both teams would be raring to emerge victoriously.

Team India’s last assignment in the longest format wasn’t fruitful as they suffered an eight-wicket defeat against New Zealand in the WTC final. Nevertheless, the Virat Kohli-led side has been doing well in Test cricket barring that defeat. India registered a historic Test series triumph in Australia earlier this year. They even defeated England 3-1 in a home series to secure a place in the WTC final.

Nevertheless, the Three Lions hold the home advantage in this series and they would be raring to settle the scores. However, England’s job won’t be easy by any means as they suffered a 1-0 defeat against New Zealand at home in their last Test series. Hence, it would be interesting to see how Joe Root’s men perform against India.

England vs India Team News

The home team suffered a major blow recently as Ben Stokes pulled out of the series citing mental health reasons. The star all-rounder has been a vital cog of the England Test team for a while and his absence could well hurt the Three Lions. Nevertheless, players like skipper Joe Root, James Anderson, and Stuart Broad are veterans of over 100 Test matches and India must beware of them.

Youngsters Zak Crawley, Dominic Sibley, and Ollie Robinson have also proven their mettle at the highest level and they would be raring to make a mark as well. Haseeb Hameed is another England player to watch for in this series. The top-order batter was included on the back of some impressive performance in the domestic circuit.

Speaking of India, they will miss the services of young Shubman Gill and Washington Sundar, who sustained injuries on this tour. Although Prithvi Shaw and Suryakumar Yadav have been called as replacements, their participation in the series is under jeopardy due to COVID-19 concerns. Hence, the visitors can’t afford to lose any more players due to fitness issues.

Meanwhile, skipper Virat Kohli was on a roll during his last Test series in England and he won’t mind replicating his heroics. While Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane, and KL Rahul are other batters to watch out for, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, and Ravichandran Ashwin will handle the mantle in the bowling department.

Here’s all you need to know about India tour of England:

Test Series Schedule

August 4–8: 1st Test at Trent Bridge, Nottingham – 03: 30 PM IST

August 12–16: 2nd Test at Lord’s, London – 03: 30 PM IST

August 25–29: 3rd Test at Headingley, Leeds – 03: 30 PM IST

September 2–6: 4th Test at The Oval, London – 03: 30 PM IST

September 10–14: 5th Test at Old Trafford, Manchester – 03: 30 PM IST

Squads

India

Rohit Sharma, Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli (Captain), Ajinkya Rahane, Hanuma Vihari, Rishabh Pant (Wicket-Keeper), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Shardul Thakur, Umesh Yadav, KL Rahul, Wriddhiman Saha (Wicket-Keeper), Abhimanyu Easwaran, Suryakumar Yadav (yet to join), Prithvi Shaw (yet to join)

Standby players: Prasidh Krishna, Arzan Nagwaswalla

England

Joe Root (Captain), Rory Burns, Dominic Sibley, Jos Buttler (Wicket-Keeper), Mark Wood, Sam Curran, James Anderson, Jonny Bairstow (Wicket-Keeper), Dominic Bess, Stuart Broad, Zak Crawley, Haseeb Hameed, Dan Lawrence, Jack Leach, Ollie Pope, Ollie Robinson, Craig Overton

Broadcast Details

All the matches of this tour will be live on Sony Sports Network.

Live streaming will be available on Sony LIV.